Dr. James Malec Honored as Colts 12th Man Fan of the Game

(Pictured L to R: Bill Winingham, Dr. James Malec, Bruce Kehoe)

On December 15, 2013, the Indianapolis Colts honored Dr. James Malec as the 12th Man Fan of the Game. The 12th Man Fan of the Game is presented to an individual whose contributions to their community and/or the country are far reaching.

WKW has been the Colts 12th Man Fan of the Game sponsor for several years. When asked why the firm sponsors this award, Mr. Winingham said, “Wilson Kehoe Winingham’s mission is Restoring Lives. Individuals chosen for this award have given a great deal to their community and country, so it makes perfect sense why we are the Colts 12th Man Fan of the Game sponsor and why I nominated Dr. Jim Malec for this award.”

Here’s more information on Dr. James Malec:

Why would a neuropsychologist leave a director position at the world-renowned Mayo Clinic to come work at the Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana on the west side of Indianapolis? According to Dr. James F. Malec, it was “the difference between steering an ocean liner and a speedboat”. Dr. Malec is currently Research Director at RHI and his research focuses, on treatment and rehabilitation of persons suffering from traumatic brain injury. When he came to RHI in 2008, his mission was to develop the rehabilitation research program. The program is currently flourishing and has resulted in RHI being able to provide state-of-the-science evidence-based rehabilitation care in Indianapolis. You might be surprised to learn that RHI treats more brain-injured persons than does the Mayo Clinic. RHI’s research program has helped elevate RHI to “world class” status as evidenced by being designated as one of only 16 TBI Model Systems in the U.S. . Dr. Malec’s presence has spurred the hiring of numerous rehabilitation clinician/researchers at RHI, as well as nationally-recognized medical director, Dr. Flora Hammond. Numerous federal grants have been obtained and Dr. Malec was honored with the prestigious Robert L. Moody Prize for Initiatives in Brain Injury Research, which is the highest such honor on a national level.

About Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana:

Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana (RHI) is twenty-two year community collaboration between Indiana University Health and St. Vincent Health. RHI has five locations to serve patients, offering a full range of acute inpatient, outpatient and vocational rehabilitation services for adults with life-changing illness and injuries due to brain injury, spinal cord, stroke, amputation, orthopedic conditions, neuromuscular disease, burns and related disabilities. For more information on RHI contact 317-329-2000, visit the RHI website at www.rhin.com.